Falling Branches
by Tuli-Susi
Summary: Arthur isn't stupid or unobservant. He has noticed how many branches fall down around them, and he must warn his knights before someone gets hurt! (just a little bit of fun)
1. Chapter 1

Falling Branches

Summary: Arthur isn't stupid or unobservant. He has noticed how many branches fall down around them, and he must warn his knights before someone gets hurt! (just a little fun)

A/N: I had this in my notebook for a few months. Since it was mostly complete, I decided to flesh it out and post it (instead of working on my 10 page paper on marijuana due in 2 days). Set between Seasons 3 and 4

* * *

The Knights of Camelot stared at the Crown Prince, wondering if he was joking. But no, even though Arthur liked a joke as much as the next man, he did appear dead serious. A few looked towards Arthur's manservant, who simply looked resigned. He had known about the Prince's idea then. Well, that certainly ruled out the joke theory. If Arthur was having a go at them, the boy would have looked overly confused or trying not to laugh. He wasn't known to keep a secret.

"Sire," Sir Leon stepped forward, "do you mind repeating that?"

"This new rule is now in effect, from this moment onwards," Arthur reiterated, word perfect. He had apparently thought this out quite thoroughly. "All Knight of Camelot will wear their head gear at all times, when on patrol or scouting through the forest, orchards, or in any terrain that supports flora of any height, size or health."

There was another silence.

"What does that even _mean_?" questioned a shaggy-haired knight.

"It means, _Sir_ Gwaine," Arthur drawled, "that any time you are in the immediate vicinity of trees, shrubs or bushes, you will put in place your Camelot issued helmet and chain-mail hood."

Gwaine blinked, then looked to the Prince's right.

"If you see anything with leaves on it, cover your head." Merlin clarified. There was a rush of expelled breath as many of the knights nodded in understanding. A few, however, were still concerned.

"Sire," Sir Lancelot, always polite, raised his hand, "may I ask why you feel the need to make this…proclamation?"

"Because the forests of Camelot are dangerous!"

"Well, yeah," Elyan agreed slowly, "The forests have always been full of dangers, it's one of the reasons we patrol."

"The trees in Camelot, mostly in the forest, are dangerous!"

"…"

No-one quite knew how to respond to this dramatic statement.

"Maybe it would be best if you started at the beginning?" Leon tried. Arthur struck a noble pose, unaware that this did nothing for the fears of his sanity. Merlin was content to merely wait and watch the unfolding hilarity.

"It has recently come to my attention that when I stop for any length of time in the woods, I have seen branches fall every time. Fortunately, they have so far only succeeded in felling bandits. But one can never be too careful! So from now on, I want you all to wear your helmets when you go on patrol. You can never be sure when rotted branches may fall!"

Once again, silence resounded, there wasn't anything one could say to that emphatic and heart-felt speech.

* * *

It was hot

Really hot

Really, really, really damn hot

It was also Summer, so there was a reason for the intense heat. Gwaine, however, could not find a reason for roasting in a tin suit. At this rate, he'd be cooked before the dinner was! Before they even stopped for dinner! He fingered his helmet, wanting to take it off.

They were currently riding through the forest, but instead of providing welcome shade, the trees only served to add to the oppressive heat. Gwaine eyed them nervously. Arthur's speech a couple of weeks ago had made him slightly paranoid, mostly because the Princess had been right. Branches and tree limbs did seem to fall at an alarming rate around Camelot, and without prior warning.

Still…

Arthur was up ahead, he wouldn't notice. He quickly pulled off his helmet, skillfully balancing it on the saddle with the left hand as the right pushed back his hood. He sighed in relief.

"Should you really be doing that?" asked an amused voice. "You heard Arthur, the trees around here are quite dangerous."

Gwaine looked to his right to find that Merlin had dropped to the back of the patrol and was looking at him with a mischevious twinkle in his eye and a smirk on his lips, the knight frowned; the younger man looked comfortably cool in his regular garb, though there really wasn't a need for the jacket and neckerchief. Maybe because he was so scrawny he was more susceptible to the cold?

"This is all your fault, you know," Gwaine announced. His friend merely raised his eyebrow in a rather good imitation of the Court Physician.

"How is it Merlin's fault?" Elyan asked as he slowed his horse slightly. "It's not like he made the rule."

"Or follows it." muttered a disgruntled Percival, shifting uncomfortably. Lancelot spared a sympathetic smile for his younger friend; the big knight was used to colder weather and this was his first Summer in Camelot.

"Still his fault," Gwaine grumbled rebelliously. "You could have talked him out of it."

"I tried!" Merlin cried in defence. "He was very insistent!"

"Did you point it out to him, Merlin?" Lancelot asked, wondering when (and why) the Prince had caught on. He was slightly nervous on behalf of his friend.

"No, Arthur was the one that noticed the pattern," Merlin answered. Lancelot was only slightly mollified. "When I tried to tell him that there wasn't any pattern, he kept bringing up examples." The knights around him gave soft snorts and Merlin grinned. "and you all thought that _I_ was the paranoid one!"

"I'm not paranoid!" they all snapped their heads around to see an irate Prince and an amused Leon waiting at a fork in the path. "I'm just careful! Gwaine, get that back on right now!"

"But it's too hot!" Gwaine whined. Arthur's glare increased.

"This is not up for debate! On! Now!"

With a sigh, Gwaine handed his helmet to Merlin before adjusting his heavy, chain-mail hood back into its proper place. He reclaimed his helmet (with a glare and a muttered 'you fault!') from the grinning manservant.

It was hot.

Really hot

Really, really, really, damn hot. His hands strayed to his helmet.

"Gwaine!"

Damn.

(It should be noted that on this particular patrol, on this particular day, they all had an uneventful and quite boring patrol. Since no bandits attacked the, there were no falling branches, ergo, they really hadn't needed to wear their helmets. Not that they ever needed them to save them from branches, but Merlin wouldn't tell them that.)

* * *

Lancelot looked at Merlin, a twitch in his lips, and his ears still ringing from the clash of swords.

"You know, Gwaine was right, it is your fault."

Merlin tilted his head in a silent question. Lancelot gestured between them, at the ground where a bandit lay face down, a tree limb across his back. Merlin grinned innocently and Lancelot smiled at the young warlock.

* * *

I really wanted to add: "I can take the heat if it means you won't have to face the fire" to the end there, but thought it would be too dramatic to what should have been a silly piece of fluff. I don't think I should have added the last two parts. They were afterthoughts, but they wrote themselves.

When I first wrote this up, I had this huge rant about how people couldn't possibly be _this_ blind to all the 'coincidences' and luck they have, but you luckily don't have to read it since I cut it out!

Please tell me what you thought, but be warned, due to some Internet troubles, a heap of schoolwork and 2 jobs, I haven't watched further than ep 4 of Season 5 (shame on me, shame!)


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! Feel free to skip the next couple of paragraphs, it's me rambling on and giving excuses as to why this wasn't out sooner. And a bit of a rant - does anyone actually read these notes?

So, this was supposed to be a one-shot, and single, simple idea that I wrote up one night in bed when suffering from jet-lag. Then, since it has been a while since I posted anything on the site (sorry to you folks who are waiting), I forgot to mark it as complete, and some people put it on alert, which I was very humbled by.

As I was checking the reviews on the 6th Dec, on campus, **LadyDunla** asked a very good question in her review: "if Arthur has finally noticed the pattern, how come he didn't notice the branches always falling down on bandits and not on him and his knights?" That is an excellent question, and I was immediately hit with a surge of ideas and wrote in down in a notebook I carry, specifically for notes and ideas that hit me out of nowhere.

I don't know why I didn't type it up right there, I had to have been sitting at the computer... I wrote pretty much the whole chapter in one sitting, albeit out-of-order. The problem came when I wanted to type it up; I did not have the time. Classes finished on the 11th and I spent the week working at the lab, and studying. Exams finished on the 17th and I spent the entire break working at the grocery store. Seriously, 40-hr weeks. Then I was back in school with 4 courses, working at both labs which meant more time on the bus, and still working at the store. But I finally typed it up! (When I should have been studying...oh dear, already slipping...)

**This is dedicated to LadyDunla, because, without her, this chapter wouldn't even exist, thank you so much for the idea!**

**Summary: The branches continue to fall, but who do they fall on?**

**Warning: it was supposed tobe crack-ish, but I apparently can't write that, so it gets a little serious at the end. Only a little though**

**Disclaimer: I'm stuck on episode 5 of season 5... that right there shows I don't own it [please refrain from mentioning spoilers if you review!]**

* * *

"Aha! Arthur crowed triumphantly.

The knight turned to stare at him warily, as they had done for the past month, ever since his new… rule had been in effect.

"I told you!" significant Looks were exchanged and Leon cleared his throat.

"Told us… what, my Lord?"

"That the forest is dangerous!"

"…ah, well-"

"look around!" the Prince insisted, "the evidence is right here!"

The knights looked around, and it appeared that he was right. they had been attacked by a rather larger-than-normal group of bandits; of course, bandits were bandits and they were The Knights Of Camelot, the best of the best! And, as previously stated, bandits were bandits. Not too strategic when it came to attacking; incredibly stupid and clumsy: tripping over roots; dropping their swords; losing their belts, pants, etc. honestly, why did they even bother?

Still, it was a large group and they had to fight quite hard ("Not Merlin though, can you do _anything_ except cower against the ground?") and it took them a little while before those that were still alive had fled. Looking around the carnage, it was obvious what Arthur was referring to.

Many men bad been cut down by slashes and stabs, a few had been knocked unconscious by hilts, fists and the ground. But scattered around the clearing were not less than four, count 'em, _four_ men trapped, their backs broken by the heavy branches that had fallen on them. One man looked like he had been killed (flattened) by half a tree.

"Ah!" exclaimed Elyan suddenly, pointing to that particular bandit. "I remember him! He was sneaking up on me! if that branch-"

"Tree" muttered Gwaine

"IF it hadn't fallen, he probably would have gotten me, wounded at the least!"

"Hang on, said Percival. Since the big knight usually remained silent, everyone gave him their full attention. :he same thing happened to me." he pointed on one bandit that had been stabbed though the chest, the branch having manages (somehow to fall vertically (at a perfect angle). Merlin winced at the gruesome sight.

"Are you sure?" Lancelot questioned. "I mean, there were a lot of bandits." Percival nodded.

"I marked him because of the neckerchief, it reminded me of Merlin." At this, the servant looked quite affronted by the comparison.

"Now that you mention it," Leon murmured, "Sire, I think that a branch may have saved you as well."

"What!" Arthur exclaimed, he was more than mildly confused about this turn of events. "Are you seriously saying that these branches… _saved_ us?!"

"Well…" Leon started, but didn't know how to continue, so he stopped.

"Four fallen branches us a lot for mere coincidence," Arthur agreed reluctantly.

"Hold up," interrupted Gwaine. He had been uncharacteristically silent for the past few minutes, a calculating look on his face. "You say this happens every time you go on patrol, right? Or into the forest in general?"

"Not like this," Leon amended, "but… yes…"

"Not every time," Merlin objected, "just… most of the time." Arthur looked at him. "Okay, the vast majority of the time." He conceded.

:Has anyone gotten hurt, any of these times?" Gwaine questioned.

"Look around, Gwaine," Arthur drawled, "You tell me." Gwaine dismissed the remark with a wave of his hand [edit: shake of his head].

"I mean any of the patrol, any knights or townsfolk?" Arthur and Leon frowned as they racked their memories, but Merlin was quick to answer.

"No."

"How can you be so sure?" Arthur demanded while Leon continued to think. Merlin rolled his eyes.

"I live with Gaius, remember." Merlin pointed out. "you know, the _Court Physician_. He would have told me if we had tree-related injuries of deaths. Well, outside of wood-cutting anyway." Before Arthur could protest, Leon nodded, as if coming to a conclusion.

"I believe he's right, Sire. I can't remember any incidents."

"And from my time here, I don't remember any either," Gwaine threw in. "Do you see what this means?"

"Err…no?"

Gwaine looked around, it appeared everyone was now staring at him as if he'd grown a second head. Huh. They'd looked at Arthur the same way when he declared that the trees were dangerous.

"The trees aren't out to get us," he explained patiently. "They're _helping_ us!" Everyone blinked and continued to stare at him like he'd grown a third arm.

"They've only fallen on bandits so far, right?"

Nods.

"Never on us."

More nods.

"Only on the enemy."

Even more nods.

"Therefore, they're helping us!"

Silence.

"Gwaine,'" Elyan began slowly, "are you suggesting… magic?"

"What? No!" Gwaine yelped as Arthur's eyes narrowed.

"Then what, Sir Gwaine, _are_ suggesting?" the Prince bit out.

"Uh… umm…" Gwaine cast around helplessly, fortunately, Percival came to his rescue.

"What about dryads? They're tree spirits," he clarified after seeing Lancelot's confused look.

"They're also magical creatures, Arthur pointed out.

"Besides," Leon chimed in, "Uther had them destroyed during the Purge. No dryad would dare show itself near Camelot."

"So we still have no idea as to why the branches are falling," Elayn sighed.

"Maybe it is magic." All heads shot around towards the manservant; Arthur's eyes ablaze with fury and Lancelot's wide with shock.

"What?" Arthur snapped. "Are you suggesting that this is the work of magic?"

"That's what I said," Merlin repeated airily.

"So," Arthur stated, "you think that there is a sorcerer out there that decided to help us, by knocking out our enemies with _tree limbs_."

"Why not?"

"Are you an idiot Merlin!" Arthur exploded. "You know magic is evil! Why would any sorcerer attempt to _help_ us?"

"Well, they can't _all_ be evil," Merlin tried, but Arthur cut him off.

"Seriously!" the Prince exclaimed. "I can't believe you're even _thinking_ about this! What do _you_ know about _magic_?"

"Nothing, Sire," Merlin replied softly.

"And," Gwaine spoke into the silence, "after all Camelot has done to those with magic, they wouldn't help is, they're more likely to kill us"

"and if they're helping, it's most likely for their own gains." Leon added as the others nodded. Lancelot saw Merlin's fist clench and decided it was time to intervene before the secret warlock did something rash.

"Or," he said quietly as he stepped forward, gaining everyone's attention, "it could simply be the weather."

"Weather?" Elyan and Percival repeated uncertainly.

"What weather?" Gwaine questioned. "It's a perfectly nice day out."

"Yes," Lancelot nodded, "it is now, but a few days ago-"

"the thunderstorm!" Leon blurted out. "You think that the storm weakened the branches until they finally snapped with the strain?"

"All at the right time?" Gwaine was rather dubious about that explanation. "That's one hell of a coincidence."

"Stranger things have happened."

"Alright," Arthur decided, "that explains the branches today, but what about all the other times? I've been on patrol and seen the branches fall when it's been clear for weeks!"

"What, you think thunderstorms are the only reason branches fall?" Merlin snorted. "Take a close look at the mast in any forest – the undergrowth and dead foliage," he elaborated upon seeing some puzzled faces. "They're full of twigs, sticks leaves and _branches_" Elyan frowned.

"Sorry… I don't follow." Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Branches fall all the time, for many different reasons: storms, insects, weakness, strain; we just don't normally see them"

"But we've seen a lot of them," Gwaine protested.

"And for each one we saw, there was probably another ten we didn't."

"Fair enough," Arthur broke in. "That's a much better theory than _magic_ Merlin." He leveled a look at his manservant. "I'm surprised you managed to think of it."

"Supercilious prat" Merlin muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Merlin?"

"I said 'when do we go back?'" Arthur frowned as Gwaine, who had been nearest Merlin, didn't bother hiding his grin.

"Men, we've wasted enough time here," Arthur declared. "We should be heading back to Camelot. Mount up!"

Merlin sighed internally. Arthur believed him when he said branches fell because of insects, and didn't question the fact that an entire dragon could disappear even when fatally wounded; but refused to listen when he spoke the truth.

Sometimes, he worried about Camelot's future.

"Does that mean we still have to wear our helmets?"

"Yes."

"But they've only killed out enemies so far!"

"You really want to bet your life on that?"

"…"

"Didn't think so."

"Merlin," sighed Lancelot, "sometimes I wonder how you're still alive."

"Gaius says that too," Merlin remarked helpfully. Lancelot frowned.

"that's not exactly comforting."

"I've survived this long, haven't I?" the warlock pointed out and his friend sighed again. He's been sighing a lot more since he became friends with Merlin, Lancelot realized.

"Just, try and be more careful in the future." He pleaded. "One of these days, Arthur is bound to catch on." Merlin gave him a Look that would have put Gaius' eyebrows to shame. "Well," Lancelot amended, "_someone_ will."

Merlin merely grinned at him an urged his gorse forward to catch up with Arthur in the vanguard. His grin widened as he caught sight of the Prince's sullen look. And Arthur called _him_ the idiot!

* * *

So, I hoped you all enjoyed the second, impromptu chapter of Falling Branches, there will not be a third because I wouldn't know what to write.

Once again, thanks to **LadyDunla**, a real-life muse, and please, if you are kind enough to leave a review, don't spoil the rest of the season for me.

(I'm behind in watching because I used to watch it on y mP3 on the bus, but last semester the bus(es) I was on weren't long enough, and now, I'm getting really annoyed at the size of my screen 2x1. Seriously, I have heels that are taller. Hard to watch and epic episode when you're squashed against the window, squinting at the screen and straining to hear the dialogue. Takes the magic right out of it. And that was not supposed to be a pun)


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